The situation in Gaza turned dire as Israeli snipers reportedly shot 21 Palestinians who were seeking refuge outside Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah, described the harrowing scene where snipers encircled the hospital, indiscriminately firing upon civilians attempting to access it from nearby residential neighbourhoods.
“The area around the hospital is very dangerous, and it has turned into a combat zone,” Mahmoud remarked, highlighting the hospital’s critical role as one of the few remaining sources of water in Khan Younis.
Human rights organisations have called for investigations into the Israeli military’s repeated assaults on medical facilities, personnel, and ambulances, citing potential violations of international humanitarian law. Human rights watch also highlighted, emphasising that hospitals and other medical facilities are civilian objects that have special protections under international humanitarian law or the laws of war.
Mahmoud underscored a disturbing new trend of targeted killings by Israeli snipers, who are now targeting Palestinians in public spaces. Additionally, individuals attempting to retrieve the bodies of victims risk becoming targets themselves.
Mahmoud also reported that even those seeking refuge within the hospital face danger, as attack drones have targeted groups attempting to access communication signals.
Both Nasser Hospital and al-Amal Hospital, the largest medical facilities in Khan Younis, have faced siege conditions for weeks, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis for displaced Palestinians seeking shelter and medical assistance.
Since the onset of the conflict on October 7, the Israeli military’s campaign has resulted in the destruction or severe damage to numerous medical facilities throughout the Gaza Strip.